A0 · 13 · Complete beginner

How to Ask for a Word and Its Meaning in Spanish

When you are speaking to someone or reading a sign in Spain, these short questions let you ask for a missing Spanish word or find out what unfamiliar Spanish means.

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What you'll be able to do

✓Ask how to say an English word in Spanish.
✓Ask what an unfamiliar Spanish word or expression means.
✓Understand and give short answers about words and meanings.
✓Use the language labels en español and en inglés when needed.

Two different directions

There are two possible directions. You may have an English word and need the Spanish, or you may already have some Spanish and need its meaning. Choosing the question depends on that direction.

Use ¿Cómo se dice…? to ask for the Spanish itself. Use ¿Qué significa…? or ¿Qué quiere decir…? to ask about Spanish that you have heard or read.

What you need	Question	Answer
You need a Spanish word	¿Cómo se dice… en español?	Se dice…
You need a meaning	¿Qué significa…?	Significa…
You need a meaning	¿Qué quiere decir…?	Quiere decir…

When you need the Spanish word

Put the English word you know after ¿Cómo se dice…? and add en español when you need to make the direction clear. For example, ¿Cómo se dice “Monday” en español?.

The complete answer begins with Se dice…, as in Se dice “lunes”. In conversation, someone may answer with only lunes, but the complete frame is useful when you are answering someone else.

English asks “How do you say…?” as though it were directed at a particular person. The Spanish expression ¿Cómo se dice…? is general and does not name a particular person, so keep it together rather than translating each word.

When you need the meaning

When you already have a Spanish word, use ¿Qué significa…? to ask for its meaning. For example, ¿Qué significa “ocupado”?.

The matching answer begins with Significa…, as in Significa “occupied”. English needs “it” in “it means”, but Spanish normally begins directly with significa here.

You can add en inglés at the end when you need to specify the language of the meaning, as in ¿Qué significa “ocupado” en inglés?.

The alternative meaning question

¿Qué quiere decir…? is another common way to ask what something means. Its matching answer is Quiere decir…. Both meaning questions have the same practical use.

For example, ¿Qué quiere decir “lunes”? can be answered with Quiere decir “Monday”. Both answer frames mean “it means”.

Do not translate quiere decir word by word here. “Wants to say” is misleading in this situation, so learn quiere decir as one complete expression meaning “means”.

Adding the language

The language label normally goes at the end of the question. Use en español when asking for Spanish and en inglés when asking for an English meaning.

You do not always need the label. If the direction is already obvious, ¿Cómo se dice “car”? or ¿Qué significa “coche”? is enough.

Direction	Words to add	Example
You have English and want Spanish	en español	¿Cómo se dice “car” en español?
You have Spanish and want English	en inglés	¿Qué significa “coche” en inglés?

The words

¿cómo se dice…?: how do you say…?A general question that does not name a particular person; keep the frame together.
se dice…: you say… / it’s said…The complete answer frame, although someone may reply with only the word in conversation.
¿qué significa…?: what does … mean?Use it when you already have a Spanish word or expression and need its meaning.
significa…: it means…Spanish normally begins directly with this form, without a separate word for “it”.
¿qué quiere decir…?: what does … mean?A common alternative to ¿qué significa…?; learn quiere decir as one expression.
quiere decir…: it means…The matching answer to the question with quiere decir.
en español: in SpanishPut it at the end when you need to make the target language clear.
en inglés: in EnglishPut it at the end when you need to make the language of the meaning clear.

More examples: real moments

A day on the phoneIn the entrance to their block of flats, Tom asks Carmen about a day shown on his phone.

Tom: Perdone, ¿cómo se dice “Monday” en español?Excuse me, how do you say “Monday” in Spanish?
Carmen: Se dice “lunes”.You say “lunes”.
Tom: Muchas gracias.Thank you very much.
Carmen: De nada.You’re welcome.

The word on a taxiOn a street near the square, Tom asks Rosa about a word displayed on a taxi.

Tom: Perdona, ¿qué significa “libre” en inglés?Excuse me, what does “libre” mean in English?
Rosa: Significa “available”.It means “available”.
Tom: Vale, gracias.OK, thanks.

The toilet doorAt a café, Tom asks a waiter about the word on the toilet door.

Tom: Perdone, ¿qué quiere decir “ocupado”?Excuse me, what does “ocupado” mean?
Waiter: Quiere decir “occupied”.It means “occupied”.
Tom: Vale, gracias.OK, thanks.

Remember

•Use ¿Cómo se dice…? when you need the Spanish word itself.
•Use ¿Qué significa…? or ¿Qué quiere decir…? when you need a meaning.
•Begin the answers with Se dice…, Significa… or Quiere decir….
•Put en español or en inglés at the end when the direction is not clear.
•Learn quiere decir as a complete expression meaning “means” here.

Practice

Type or choose your answer; each one is checked as you go.

1. Choose the direction

Choose the line that fits each situation.

1.You know the English word “house” and need the Spanish word. What do you ask?
2.You see libre and want to know its meaning. What do you ask?
3.Someone asks ¿Cómo se dice “car” en español?. Choose the complete answer.
4.Someone asks ¿Qué quiere decir “ocupado”?. Choose the matching answer.

2. Complete the frames

Fill each gap with the missing word or short phrase.

1.¿Cómo se “phone” en español?
2. dice “coche”.
3.Use the “significa” frame: ¿Qué “libre”?
4.Complete the answer with the significa frame: “available”.
5.¿Qué quiere “ocupado”?
6.Quiere “occupied”.
7.Make clear that you want Spanish: ¿Cómo se dice “home” ?
8.Make clear that you want English: ¿Qué significa “casa” ?

3. Build the complete line

Translate each line into Spanish, following any instruction in the prompt.

1.How do you say “Monday” in Spanish?
2.The Spanish word is “lunes”. Give the complete answer using se dice.
3.What does “ocupado” mean? Use significa.
4.It means “occupied”. Use quiere decir.
5.What does “casa” mean in English? Use quiere decir.

4. Use the questions and answers

Write the line you would say in each situation.

1.You know the English word “telephone”. Ask for the Spanish word and include the language.
2.Another learner asks ¿Cómo se dice “house” en español?. Give the complete answer.
3.You read ocupado. Ask for its meaning using the alternative question, and specify English.
4.Another learner asks ¿Qué significa “lunes”?. Give the complete answer using significa.

Ask both ways

Write one question-and-answer exchange with ¿Cómo se dice…? and another with either meaning question, using words from this page. Include en español in the first and en inglés in the second, then say all four lines aloud.

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Grammar in this lesson: Subject pronouns, and why Spanish drops them · Asking questions

Revised 31 October 2026